Ridgewood residents opposed to testing changes form group

A group of parents is growing the opposition to "Common Core driven changes in curriculum and the upcoming PARCC assessments" in the district through fact-finding committees and social media.

This wording comes from the group, called "Ridgewood Cares About Schools," which held its first meeting in July with a couple dozen members. The group formed an online meeting place on Facebook in August to discuss emerging research on the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) and the new state standards it pairs with, Common Core.

Anne Burton Walsh, one of the founding members, was hesitant to talk too much about the group in a phone call on Aug. 20, saying that it would eventually become an advocacy group once more research is done by the members on Common Core and standardized testing.

The group will be holding a panel on Oct. 2, Walsh said, to "help educate the public about these issues" with Sandra Stotsky, a professor in the department of education reform at the University of Arkansas, Vincent De Lucia, a consultant with the New Jersey School Board Association, and County Freeholder Joan Voss.

The panel is being sponsored in part by the Ridgewood League of Women Voters, but the time and place have not been set.

Walsh said her motivation behind helping to form this group was "the increase in the number of testing days." Walsh is "not sure" whether she will pull her three children, ages 5, 7 and 9, from the test taking.

That's not the case for Jean McTavish, another member of the group, who has opted out her children, ages 15 and 12, for the past three years.

"Opting out is just a strategy that helps parents get a seat at the table of school reform because we've been systemically excluded," McTavish said.

The Facebook group, which as of Aug. 20 had drawn 114 "likes," said its mission is to "take a critical look at changes in curriculum and upcoming new assessments."

McTavish said the group plans to grow its membership by attending Board of Education meetings, like the one scheduled for 5 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 25, and speaking to parents during pick-up and drop-off times at school.

"Opting out is not a comfortable thing to do and I think parents would rather not," she said, "but what they will also not tolerate is the misuse of standardized testing across the country."

McTavish "vehemently" objects to testing as a way to evaluate teachers.

"When tests are tied to teacher evaluations, the curriculum narrows because teachers want students to do their very best," McTavish said. "That's the significant danger we run into in Ridgewood."

She said the district could "lose control of the curriculum" with standards from Common Core.

Fishbein said testing impacts the evaluations of about 15 percent of the district's teachers.

"There are 180 other days of teacher work with students," he said. "The testing is just one data point."

He said the request by parents to opt students out of the state-required tests is a recent phenomenon and is not sure yet how it will affect district students.

"The state does not have an opt-out provision, which means they're saying everyone should take the test, but they have nothing beyond that," Fishbein said. "They leave it up to the local districts and we're working through that process."

He said if participation in testing falls below 95 percent, it could impact the school's Quality Single Accountability Continuum (QSAC) score, which is how the state Department of Education monitors and evaluates public schools.

And for the students, Fishbein said, "There is certain information we do get from the test that we don't have, so in that sense, yeah it does [hurt them]."

Ridgewood residents opposed to testing changes form group

A group of parents is growing the opposition to "Common Core driven changes in curriculum and the upcoming PARCC assessments" in the district through fact-finding committees and social media.

This wording comes from the group, called "Ridgewood Cares About Schools," which held its first meeting in July with a couple dozen members. The group formed an online meeting place on Facebook in August to discuss emerging research on the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) and the new state standards it pairs with, Common Core.

Anne Burton Walsh, one of the founding members, was hesitant to talk too much about the group in a phone call on Aug. 20, saying that it would eventually become an advocacy group once more research is done by the members on Common Core and standardized testing.

The group will be holding a panel on Oct. 2, Walsh said, to "help educate the public about these issues" with Sandra Stotsky, a professor in the department of education reform at the University of Arkansas, Vincent De Lucia, a consultant with the New Jersey School Board Association, and County Freeholder Joan Voss.

The panel is being sponsored in part by the Ridgewood League of Women Voters, but the time and place have not been set.

Walsh said her motivation behind helping to form this group was "the increase in the number of testing days." Walsh is "not sure" whether she will pull her three children, ages 5, 7 and 9, from the test taking.

That's not the case for Jean McTavish, another member of the group, who has opted out her children, ages 15 and 12, for the past three years.

"Opting out is just a strategy that helps parents get a seat at the table of school reform because we've been systemically excluded," McTavish said.

The Facebook group, which as of Aug. 20 had drawn 114 "likes," said its mission is to "take a critical look at changes in curriculum and upcoming new assessments."

McTavish said the group plans to grow its membership by attending Board of Education meetings, like the one scheduled for 5 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 25, and speaking to parents during pick-up and drop-off times at school.

"Opting out is not a comfortable thing to do and I think parents would rather not," she said, "but what they will also not tolerate is the misuse of standardized testing across the country."

McTavish "vehemently" objects to testing as a way to evaluate teachers.

"When tests are tied to teacher evaluations, the curriculum narrows because teachers want students to do their very best," McTavish said. "That's the significant danger we run into in Ridgewood."

She said the district could "lose control of the curriculum" with standards from Common Core.

Fishbein said testing impacts the evaluations of about 15 percent of the district's teachers.

"There are 180 other days of teacher work with students," he said. "The testing is just one data point."

He said the request by parents to opt students out of the state-required tests is a recent phenomenon and is not sure yet how it will affect district students.

"The state does not have an opt-out provision, which means they're saying everyone should take the test, but they have nothing beyond that," Fishbein said. "They leave it up to the local districts and we're working through that process."

He said if participation in testing falls below 95 percent, it could impact the school's Quality Single Accountability Continuum (QSAC) score, which is how the state Department of Education monitors and evaluates public schools.